Holly Anderson
Hello, Paper Crafts readers! We’re so happy to see you here on the blog today! Now, I have a serious question for you: what do you want to know? Do you have a question you’re hankerin’ to have answered about our team, our process, or our magazines? What do you want to see? What are your favorite kinds of posts? What do you like to hear about?
Phew. That was a lot of questions.
Well, leave me a comment, and we’ll see what we can bring to you in the future!
Thanks for checking in!
I would love to know more about the behind the scenes preparation to put the magazine together, including how you do the photo layouts.
When preparing to create a card, is it easiest to start with a sketch, stamp set or color combination? I suppose the answer will be ~ it depends on the person. Well, I could use some tips on this process. Thanks for asking!
I love technique posts and posts that show a variety of ways to use the same product.
I’d love to see more inside information on how you go about choosing cards for an issue of your magazine. That stuff is exciting =)
I would love to know how you determine which techniques you will feature in each magazine and the many ways you can use each technique.
I like to learn about making cards and gifty sorts of things that don’t use die cutting/embossing machines. I like for my projects to look handmade, not too professional. If I wanted slick things, I’d buy them.
Definitely stamp care. Cleaning, storing, repairing a ripped stamp, cutting and separating stamps. Best ink for different stamps.
I would like to see projects that emphasize homemade. Ideally, the projects would be created with a ‘minimal ” number of “purchased” products and with less dependency on stamps and other tools like die cutting machines/embossing machines.
I don’t have any questions, but I do really enjoy the posts where new ways to use tools, new techniques and ideas, or just new tools, are demonstrated. It might be fun if you chose one tool – the Bind It All, or the Big Shot, for example – and have everyone demonstrate some different way to use just that tool. I enjoy following whatever you are doing.
I’d like to know how the set ups, props and backgrounds for the magazine pages are chosen and what lighting is used. The cards always look so amazing with no shadows and such bright colours. And the detail is amazing with every texture showing. I’d love to get some tips from the photographers such as camera settings etc. I know this is quite technical but there are more and more of us buying DSLR cameras to try and get better and better photos for our blogs and scrapbook pages. So I think this might interest more people than you might think at first.
I enjoy this blog a lot. There is a lot of variety and a lot of interesting people posting ideas, cards, papercrafts etc. Here are a couple of things I’d like to see:
1. I’d love to see photos of your craft studios.
2. I love organization tips – always find something helpful in that.
3. Love it when you throw out an idea/technique and have several Go-To Gals or staff members show their work.
4. Blog hops are fun!
Thanks for listening.
I love learning new techniques and also like templates for paper piecing or shape cards!
Like some mentioned above, I would love to know more about the best inks for stamps, specifically cling and large area stamps.
Also, why you chose a certain card for publication and not another a great question!
And maybe more info on selling your cards and packaging them, as well as some more papercrafting projects you can do for gifts (no sew)!
Thanks do much!
Emma
Great questions! Do you each have different styles you gravitate toward? How do you decide which cards “make it to the table?” Do you try to spread out selections among the manufacturers? I’d also like to know about specific tips for photographing cards for submission (e.g., an example of a good and not as stellar photo). Other ideas are: how to purge stamps/papers/embellishments that are outdated or not getting used; how to organize your space if you don’t have a bedroom-sized craft room; a review of paper cutters and scissors; maybe a periodic post based on the “Get Inspired” issue. I really like PCC, so please don’t change it too much!
I’d like to know more about how each of the Go To Gals got into paper crafting. Do they have backgrounds in art? Design? How’d they end up working at the magazine? I love when they share solutions to common problems in the craft room…Do they ever have cards that just don’t work?
Also, I love when they share ideas for techniques. The magazine is great, but sometimes the directions for the cards are pretty sketchy… The July/August feature on using paint was great…more of that sort of thing would be wonderful!
I’d love to hear more about how Cath comes up with her Moxie Fab ideas. Years after seeing her glitter and offset scallop techniques I’m still pulling them out of the closet and putting them to use.
I would like to know more about making Letterpress cards. Sizzix ad Lifestyle crafts have now got letterpress plates (as well as Spellbinders Embossibilities) and I have just started playing with their goodies. I would like tips and inspiration from others who do Letterpress projects. More specifically I’d like to see some total letterpress cards(home made i.e. with a roller die cut machine not a commercial one) and some cards with some letterpressing and other embellishments/paper/stamps etc.
Also tips like lining up your card for mulitcolour printing, using your rollers, ink pads etc.
Thanks! keep up the great work
I always like seeing craft spaces—before and after if someone does a makeover, ideas for paper organization, what works well for storage, etc. Also maybe “a day in the life of…” which could be a person there or even a day in the life of a new product, showing people and the different ways/projects they use it in. I always enjoy y’all’s blog, thanks!
The number one thing for me is how to photograph the cards – lighting etc.
I also love seeing how people use everyday things to organize their stuff.
ALso I like seeing a product used in various ways. I recently have collected a bunch of the tape with various designs and I would love to see how people use it.
Thanks for asking. Have fun compiling the results.
Arrgh! So many things I want and need to know … reading through the comments above, pretty much all of them rang true for me and I kept saying, “Yep, I need to know about that too!” I really would like to know the following:
a. Lighting/Camera tips. I take decent photos – but I still have not found the perfect lighting combination. Also, what are the best ways of keeping a card shut and held upright while photographing it?
b. I want to be a fly-on-the-wall and see what really happens when you all are choosing cards/projects for each submission. What is the process? How does it work? How long is it? How different is it between electronic submissions versus actual submissions?
c. Yes, Yes, Yes, show us more “Craft Room” ideas – before and afters, Design Team craft storage, etc. We need more ideas from which we can all take ideas that work for our unique area(s) at home.
All in all, I completely puffy heart your magazine, and I eat up every issue and keep them all for constant inspiration, and rely on them for so many things: learn new techniques, inspiring color combinations, sketches and ideas, new tools, new manufacturing lines, etc. Your magazine makes my day and I LOVE it!
I, too, would like to know more about photographing my cards. Sometimes I get a really good photo and then the next one is awful. I use the same camera and the same lighting so I am confused about that. I would also like to know about inks. I don’t know a lot about dye inks, chalk inks or any of the others on the market.
I would like to know more about taking better pictures of my cards.
I LOVE learning about new technique trends too!
I think it would be fun to see a retrospective of PC over the years. How have the stats changed, and the styles of cards you publish? How has the selection process changed? Etc.
I always see such beautiful stamped images using white ink. I have bought so many different white ink pads from all different companies and had horrible luck with them. So i would like to know which company offers the best white ink pad, and what are some tips/tricks to getting such beautiful images with them! Thanks!
I love the posts showing me how to do something new or a new product – You all have great ideas always on this website!
What I want to see more of is products you can buy at stores across the country. I don’t do much online buying as I like to see in person what I am getting.
Also, more of what you showed in Practical Solutions would be awesome! I love funky creative cards and general paper crafts. I also LOVE organizing (even though my current area is far from it).
Thanks for everything y’all do!
Techniques are always a great topic, as are organizational tips. I also love to see what you do with all of your scraps – there have been a few posts on this in the past, with inspiring examples.
I need product comparisons…i’m breathing new life into my hobby, and need to invest in markers. What should i get? Also, I’m just discovering die cutting and am contemplatinng a cutting machine…what are my best choices? Thanks!